cyclopticgaze

Much done, not much done

Apr 10, 2006

Spent a lot of time working on the car, but not much actually accomplished getting it moving under its own power. I waxed the flat surfaces of the car twice. That got rid of the pearlescent sheen and dull finish, though it forced wax into all the breaks in the clearcoat that bird crap ate open. Still, looks (and feels) much better. She won't be a pretty car until she's repainted, but the crappy black paint greatly appreciated the wax.

Got the car up on blocks and looked at the front brakes. Getting the wheels off was no small task; I don't think they had been taken off in 5 years. The previous owner did not supply a lug nut wrench of the proper size, so I'm thinking he never took the wheels off. That, and it took some WD-40 to get the lug nuts to unbind. The brakes don't look bad, but some of the brake lines have small cracks in them necessitating replacement. Pretty sure there's not much fluid in there anyway. I haven't gotten the back up, but I reckon the drums look about the same.

I took off the front bumper. It was short one bolt that attaches it to the frame, and one of the brackets holding it on is cracked, too. I think '02s look pretty good without front bumpers, anyway.

I took a peek at the transmission and shift lever. There indeed appears to be a short shift kit under there. It's very wobbly, though. And the transmission mount might be cracked. Needs further investigation.

The solvent I ordered to take off the carpet glue residue inside arrived today. (Big thanks to the 2002AD guys for telling me what they use to take it off.) I'll finish up my cleaning this weekend by tackling that. After that, it's all mechanical work until it's running and stopping. I'll get up some before and after cleaning pictures since the difference is so dramatic.

I'll be placing some big parts orders soon.

Waxed and jacked up. Missing a front bumper and a few wheels.

Front-left brake. Notice the rust-free patch where the pad was touching the rotor for 3 years.

Front-right brake.

Looking at the driveshaft, transmission, and shift lever. Some dead spiders still cling to their former home.